A brilliant military leader, a fearless warrior, a steadfastnationalist, a relentless statesman, an intellectual, a humanist, aphilosopher, a spiritualist, a writer... Garegin Nzhdeh remains by-farthe single most powerful figure the Armenian nation has produced inperhaps one thousand years.

One of Garegin Nzhdeh's greatest achievements was to ensure the futuresurvival of the Armenian state by organizing an armed resistance inZangezur in 1921 and forcing the Bolshevik leadership at the time toagree on keeping the strategic province within Soviet Armenia.

Whereas some revolutionary figures such as the famous general AndranikOzanian abandoned the fight for independence when the tide of historyturned against Armenia towards the end of the First World War, GareginNzhdeh courageously and relentlessly pursued his sacred mission tosecure an independent Armenian state to the every end of his life in aBolshevik prison.

Garegin Nzhdeh deserves a prominent place within the pantheon of greatArmenians. Garegin Nzhdeh's heroic, selfless and magnanimous lifeneeds to serve as a model for all self-respecting Armenians worldwide.

Not surprisingly, the active memory of Garegin Nzhdeh amongstArmenians was seen as a serious threat by those who sought to keepArmenians fragmented and weak. In an effort to deprive the Armenianpeople of his role model, Garegin Nzhdeh'spowerful legacy was fordecades obscured by the Soviet leadership and more recently by Westerninterests. This effort to drive a wedge between Garegin Nzhdeh and thepeople he loved so much proved effective. Despite all he had done forthe Armenian nation during his lifetime, the few that rememberedGaregin Nzhdeh outside of Dashnaktsakan circles simply remembered himas a Nazi collaborator.

As such, the Armenian nation was deprived of an immensely importanthistoric figure who's memory alone could have given ideological andspiritual sustenance to millions of Armenians worldwide.

After seventy years of Bolshevik ideology and after twenty years ofallowing American/Hollywood inspired filth on Armenian televisionscreens and in movie theaters corrupt the newly established republic'sidentity and ethics by the systematic promotion of Globalism (e.g.neo-Bolshevism), sex, violence and materialism, I am glad to seeArmenian officials finally waking up to the realization thattelevision and cinema can be very powerful tools for the disseminationofpositive, constructive and more importantlyArmenocentricpsychological conditioning.

I'm very glad to report that a major state-funded film about GareginNzhdeh is due to come out in theaters in Yerevan. Please see thetrailer for the motion picture at the bottom of this commentary. Foradditional perspective on Garegin Nzhdeh I have also posted below themovie trailer a documentary that was presented about him by Armenia'sstate-controlled H1 not too long ago.

The film in and of itself may not seem much at first glance. Afterall, it is only a film. Having said that, the kind of psychologicalimpact these types of ethnocentric programing leaves upon the generalpopulace should not be underestimated.

The influential power that a well-funded entertainment industry hasover the masses has long been recognized by major powers around theworld. Television and cinema are two extremely powerful mediumsthrough which cultural values and political messages can beeffectively conveyed. This is why for instance we seen an activecollaboration taking place between American officials in Washingtonand movie producers in Hollywood.

Nevertheless, after years of severe intellectual, ethical andspiritual decay (for which I primarily blame the leadership and thepolitical opposition in Armenia); after years of massive emigration(for which I again blame the leadership and the political oppositionin Armenia); after hundreds of years of being subjects of this or thatempire (for which I blame Byzantine Greeks); and being that Armeniaunfortunately finds itself in perhaps the most inhospitablegeopolitical environment on earth (for which I blame Hayk Nahapet),the conditioning or rewiring of Armenians today with positive,constructive and ethnocentric propaganda has become a matter ofparamount national importance.

In my opinion, instilling true nationalism into Armenians today is amatter of strategic importance for it is ultimately a matter ofnational security.Moreover, we must recognize that before we are ableto fix `corruption' related problems in Armenia, we first need to fixthe Armenian.

I say this because the modern Armenian is a deeply troubled creaturethat has been severely degraded by a thousand years of Turkic,Islamic, Semitic, Bolshevik and now Western influences. This onethousand years old and still on-going decay has turned a nation ofproud and noble lions into a nation of scavenging and opportunistichyenas - with victim mentalities nonetheless. This one thousand yearsold and still on-going decay has turned a nation of warriors, priestsand hardy peasants into a nation of petty merchants, cowards andshysters.

This one thousand years old and still on-going decay has to be stoppedand reversed if we are to have an Armenia that we can all be proud ofsomeday.

If carried-out correctly, the active promotion of positive role modelsand the dissemination of positive - Armenocentric - propaganda willserve to stop and reverse the self-destructive traits we have beenseeing so much of in Armenians today. It is my conviction that asArmenia evolves as a nation-state, much of its current sociopoliticalailments can be remedied by the systematic introduction ofhealthy/constructive nationalism into the Armenian awareness.

In short, Armenians need to fully embrace noble figures like GareginNzhdeh in their lives, and professionally produced films such as thefollowing motion picture and documentary about the great Armenianleader is a very good start in beginning the long and arduous processof awakening the true Armenian character that has been long dormant inus all -

PanArmenian Media Group company’s film “Garegin Nzhdeh”, dedicated to the 21st anniversary of the Armenian army, tells the story of national hero, General Garegin Nzhdeh, his life and military path.

Enlarge Photo Hrach Keshishyan

The film premiered at Moscow Cinema on January 27 and 28, but social networks and media have been discussing it for the past two weeks. The most criticized part is a fragment (misjudged from the trailer) where the actor embodying Nzhdeh, Artashes Alexanyan, fiercely responds “I am Garegin Nzhdeh”. A number of mocking videos were made and placed on Youtube, which gave food for talks also to Azeri media.

“Only after watching the film one can be entitled to criticism or praise. But it’s a trailer. It is used for advertising purposes, it is unacceptable to take that one sentence and make a big deal out of it. I see it as betrayal and desecration. Azerbaijan proclaims a murderer as national hero, and we, like traitors, defame our prophet,” Alexanyan told ArmeniaNow. “And by the way, the audience stood up and applauded after both shows, which speaks about their good impressions of the film.”

Film director Hrach Keshishyan says the film is a story of boundless love for homeland, heroism, betrayal and disappointments, and also of unbreakable will, endless faith and dreams.

“My soul has two fulcrums – God and motherland,” the great general’s words sound in the movie.

Young Nzhdeh part is played by actor Shant Hovhannisyan, while Alexanyan portrays older Nzhdeh.

“It’s not an easy task to create a character. The challenge is to be able to put yourself in his shoes, get into his skin, know his blood type, his ways and moves, his daily conduct, habits… I am honored to have been trusted this role,” says Alexanyan.

The time setting of the film is the years of the First Armenian Republic. Warfare fragments show how without any foreign assistance, relying only on the native mountains and the power of spirit, people of Syunik (southern province of modern Armenia) won their victory under Nzhdeh’s leadership.

During the Soviet years speaking about the greatest heroes of any USSR member nation was forbidden, as Soviet authorities were trying to erase them from public memory. The film authors state that only 70-80 years later it became possible to tell the stories of Armenia’s national heroes.

The film depicts how due to Nzhdeh’s rebellious, daring spirit, inflexible will and bravery Syunik avoided sharing Nakhijevan’s and Nagorno Karabakh’s fate. With active hostilities he neutralized the treaty signed in 1920 between Armenia and Soviet Russia, by which three major regions of Armenia – Nakhijevan, Nagorno Karabakh and Syunik – were to be passed over to Azerbaijan with a status of autonomous regions.

“Geographically, Syunik is the spine of our motherland, without which Armenia cannot exist,” Nzhdeh tells his soldiers in the film.

Part of the three-hour movie was shot in Sofia, where Nzhdeh lived after leaving Armenia. In 1944 Soviet troops entered Bulgaria, and shortly after Nzhdeh was taken under arrest, giving up a chance to flee to Vienna.

“I have more serious reasons to stay … I am bound to life only to an extent I still feel it as my duty to serve Armenia”, he says prior to his arrest.

He was transferred to Bucharest, from there to Moscow and put to prison in Lyubyanka. In 1946, he was sent to Yerevan, where he was sentenced to 25 years of confinement.

He spent the years between 1948-1952 in Vladimir prison, then until the summer of 1953 in a secret prison in Yerevan. Nzhdeh's transfer to Yerevan prison was related to an attempt to mediate between the Dashnaks and the Soviet leaders to create a collaborative atmosphere between the two sides. After long negotiations with the state security service of Soviet Armenia, Nzhdeh and (Minister of Internal Affairs) Devejian prepared a letter in Yerevan prison (1953) addressed to the ARF leader Simon Vratsian, calling on him for co-operation with the Soviets regarding the issue of the Armenian struggle against Turkey. However, the communist leaders in Moscow refused to send the letter and it only remained a latent document.

The final part of the movie is more emotional, when Nzhdeh is allowed to meet his grandchild he had never met. The stoic general collapses when he takes his granddaughter into his embrace. With equal warmth he takes a handfull of soil of his motherland and takes it to Vladimir prison, where he dies in 1955.

Only decades after his death, in 1992 the prosecution of the third Republic of Armenia, Nzhdeh was justified, something he never needed.

Many on social networks shared their impressions after watching the film:

“All the clamor, slander, criticism, mocking that followed the release of the trailer and before the screening of the film now seem ridiculous. At least sometimes, let us trust ourselves, believe in us and in our ability to create something good and valuable…” wrote Republican MP Margarit Yesayan in her Facebook page.

Blog-writer Tigran Kocharyan said there are many gaps and a lot of questions to director Keshishyan.

“Many fragments lack profoundness, at some historical moments Nzhdeh’s character is not fully disclosed, his ideology could have been presented better… But, all that aside, the film is a success. And I, who had been rather skeptical about it, applauded in the end,” he wrote in his blog.

The film budget was $7 million and was financed by Valex mining company and Zangezur copper-molybdenum plant. The production took nine months.

Synopsis:The film, "Garegin Nzhdeh", is a vivid despcription of the life of Garegin Nzhdeh, who was an Armenian statesman, fedayee, political thinker, and, as a member of the ARF, was involved in revolutionary activities in Armenia, Bulgaria and Russia.

"Garegin Nzhdeh" is directed by Hrach Keshishyan and written by Krist Manaryan. Such stars as Chulpan Khamatova, Mikhail Efremov, Khoren Levonyan, and Nazeni Hovhannisyan form the cast of the film. The film has been filmed in Armenia, Russia, Poland, and France. "Garegin Nzhdeh" will be premiered in Los Angeles at Pacific Theaters (Americana). There will be more than ten screenings in Los Angeles. The film will also be screened nationwide, in States such as Boston, New Jersey, New York, and San Francisco. Besides the US, screenings of the film will take place in Canada.